Coco Gauff knocked out of Qatar Open by unseeded Katerina Siniakova
Former US Open champion Coco Gauff suffered an early exit from the Qatar Open after losing in straight sets to Katerina Siniakova.
Making her first appearance since losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the Australian Open last month, Gauff was out of sorts, losing six games in a row to fall to a 6-2 6-4 defeat.
The American second seed looked to have turned things around after losing the opening set when she eased into a 4-0 lead in the second set.
But Czech Siniakova, better known for her achievements in the doubles game, responded with six games in a row for one of the biggest singles victories of her career.
Melbourne runner-up Zheng Qinwen, playing her first match as a top ten player, came through 6-2 2-6 6-3 against Magda Linette, while teenager Linda Noskova, who was a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, upset seventh seed Maria Sakkari 3-6 7-6(2) 7-5.
Leylah Fernandez recovered from losing the first set to love to defeat Paula Badosa 0-6 6-2 6-3 and Victoria Azarenka was a 7-6(2) 6-2 winner over Wang Xinyu.
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